Fall of Zarmizegetusa

The Fall of Zarmizegetusa occurred in early 271 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. The invading Germanic Buri tribe of southern Poland attacked the Roman provincial capital of Zarmizegetusa in Dacia, which was defended by a small but spirited garrison, and the Romans fought to the death before being overwhelmed by the massive Buri army. Soon after, the Buri army was destroyed at the Battle of Tismanum, turning the tide against the Germanic invaders.

Background
In 270 AD, the death of Emperor Claudius Gothicus during a plague in Rome led to political instability across the Roman Empire, which now struggled with increased banditry, provincial autonomy, and the independence of the Gallic Empire and the Palmyrene Empire. The Roman general Aurelian, who commanded the legions in Pannonia and Dacia, was acclaimed as Emperor by his soldiers, but the Roman Senate in Rome nominated Claudius' brother Quintillus to succeed Claudius as Emperor. What ensued was a deadly civil war which devastated Italy and forced the Romans to withdraw their legions from the Rhine and Danube frontiers to crush the Roman pretenders and usurpers.

This en masse redeployment of the Roman legions from the frontiers to the interior of the empire left border provinces such as Dacia and Pannonia almost undefended. By the time that Aurelian had been proclaimed Emperor, Rome was at war with the Marcomanni, Quadi, Goths, Roxolani, and Buri, each of whom sought plunder and more lands. Through skillful diplomacy, he succeeded in making peace with the Marcomanni and Goths without having to fight them on the battlefield, and he then planned his march on Rome with Legio I Dacica, raising Legio IV Pannonica to defend the border. This legion was led by Pacuvius Atronius, who subdued the Roxolani after twice capturing Drobeta and repelling a Roxolani assault on Zarmizegetusa. However, shortly after Legio IV Pannonica captured Drobeta, the Buri king Sigimund took advantage of the lack of garrisoning in Zarmizegetusa to invade Roman territory with an army of around 3,000 warriors. His army laid siege to the city, which was defended by Paculus Herennius Bibulus and 735 troops, and Bibulus decided against sortiyng against the besieging army, as it was unlikely that they would win. Instead, he held out, hoping that Legio IV Pannonica could relieve the siege before Sigimund decided to assault the city.

Siege
Sigimund feared that Legio IV Pannonica would attack his army from behind and annihilate his legion, so he decided to attack the city after just a month of siege. The Romans, who were fatally outnumbered, decided to position themselves in front of the one gate which faced the Buri horde. As the large Buri army scaled the walls and climbed into the city, the Romans held their line, intending to kill as many Buri warriors as possible before dying in battle. The Romans fought gallantly against the Buri warriors, but they were overwhelmed by the ceaseless stream of Germanic warriors, and they were ultimately routed after a brave last stand.

Aftermath
The fall of Zarmizegetusa was another embarrassment to the Romans, as was the previous Sack of Aquincum by the Quadi. The Romans were forced to redeploy Legio IV Pannonica from Drobeta to recapture Zarmizegetusa from the Buri, and the Buri army unwisely advanced from the city to attack the smaller legion. In the Battle of Tismanum, the Romans destroyed the Buri force and killed their king.